Those of us who regularly use social networking sites, know that it has never been easier to spot a fake.

It’s hard for people to hide who they really are and what they know (or don’t know,) when they regularly update their social networking accounts.

Yes, anyone can fake it for a little while, but in the medium and long term, we get so much information that it’s very simple to build up a profile of the people we regularly see sharing.

Fakes, saying and seeing

Ironically, many of those people believe that the Internet makes it easier for them to fool the marketplace, because social media gives them the chance to say anything they like. They can pretend to be experts, leaders or visionaries, so people will ‘just believe them’, right?

Wrong! The exact opposite is true. Today, we can see what the fakes are doing on social networks, regardless of what they say.

Some common examples we see all the time include:

The web designer, who talks every day about the need for great design, yet whose own site has rookie design errors.

The leaders on Twitter, who ask you to follow people on Fridays because that’s when everyone does it.

The business networking expert, who works behind an avatar photo that was taken 15 years ago.

The copywriter, who is unable to write interesting social media updates.

The work-life balance gurus, who go missing for months, because their own work-life balance is totally out of control.

Thankfully, the same visibility that exposes the fakes, makes it easier than ever for genuine people to demonstrate their knowledge, professionalism and consistency. It has never been easier or more rewarding, to be your unique self.

Let's grow your business: I can help you build a successful business, make more sales and boost your profits. To find out how, read this.

Wow! That feels mite judgemental Mr C.! I checked up on my own profile record and am pleased to see I am not the least faking; single mum who loves her job but has a creative sideline; inconsistent, scatty, filthy sense of humour, fickle, rubbish timekeeper, zero work-life balance, cyclist. It’s all there. Absolutely transparently true Phew! So I’ll just try to do it all a bit better next year once I’ve read a few more of your posts!